Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from our little vampire (can you see the 2 little fangs coming in up there?)!

           It's been quite a year...time to reflect back on 2009.  Lots of changes in our lives, but obviously, the biggest and best was the arrival of little Lyra and, eventually, her smiles.  Before we had her, I feared how our lives would be altered - how we wouldn't be able to just pick up and go wherever we wanted, for example.  Well, a lot of the things I thought might happen did happen (we in fact can't just pick up and go wherever we want, whenever we want!), but it's really and truly ok because the tradeoff is having this amazing and totally lovable creature in our lives...

I started thinking a couple months back (Lyra's now 10 1/2 months) that oh, she won't change as quickly any more.  Not true!  It has been really fun and so incredible to watch her develop - a nascent skill will go from first hints of her doing it, to fumbling intermittent attempts, to refining, then to advanced placement level, all within a short time span, sometimes within a couple weeks.  For example, watching her "pincer grasp" utilizing index finger and thumb to grasp items was initially sort of painful to watch...within TWO WEEKS she was conveying small crumbs into her mouth and having a nearly 100% success rate at actually getting everything into her mouth.

Some updates on what she's doing these days:

Food: Eating pretty much anything you give her.  Cheerios are a favorite.  She loves bread, too.  She now eats peas and green beans quite happily.

Motor skills: Besides mastering the pincer grasp, she is finally crawling forwards, though still somewhat jerkily.  Just this week she started pulling/pushing herself up to stand, and is cruising around.

Not-so-fun new developments:

• Hating diaper changes or clothing changes that require her to stay on her back; she now usually screams because she is trying to roll onto her tummy, while the diaper-changer continually tries to roll her back over and hopes no pee decides to come out at that moment.  This morning there was no crying due to mommy entertaining her with silly noises and faces...doubt that will hold up for long, though!  
• Wanting to get into the kitty food and water dishes...will be moving those behind the baby gate!
• Needing to childproof.  Two of three gates are up so far (didn't order enough extensions for the third) in order to be able to confine her to one area.  Mommy bought these "nice" magnetic cabinet locks that don't show from the outside...but are a royal PAIN to install, as Daddy can attest to, in part due to our slightly funky cabinet door design in the kitchen.  There are some holes in the cabinets now, oops....

Hmmm, still not done with this post and it's getting out of date over a week later.  For one thing, Lyra now has all 8 of the front teeth (4 top and 4 bottom) coming in.  Better post it now!